Snap Decisions
by Scanafritzy
Summary: "Hey Bells, it's your dad. Give me a call when you finish your exam. I, uh, have some news..." Bella is going to need money to pay for her senior year of university, or run the risk of having to move back home to Forks. Edward isn't looking for anyone special in his life, until she literally falls into his office. AH.
1. Chapter 1

What the hell had happened in Forks recently?

**Bella**

Passing in my last exam of the semester, I smiled brightly at my professor. I had a feeling that I had done really well on it.

"Have a good summer, Ms. Swan," Professor Banner said, with a wave of his hand.

"You as well, sir. See you in September."

Leaving the hall, I headed for the exit and then to my truck. I flipped open my bag to grab my keys and phone, and noticed that I had missed a call from my father, and had a new voicemail.

"Hey Bells, it's your dad. Give me a call when you finish your exam. I, uh, have some news..."

I frowned, listening to a voicemail from Charlie. That didn't sound like good news. Standing against the cab of my truck,I deleted the voicemail and called my father's work number.

"Sheriff's Department, Deputy Clearwater speaking," came to greeting.

Sheriff's Department?

"Hey Seth, it's Bella. Is my dad around?"

"Oh, um...hey Bella. No, Charlie's not here. Uh, try him at home, maybe?" Seth sounded nervous.

"At home at four o'clock on a Tuesday? Um, okay, I'll try him at home. Thanks Seth."

I ended the phone call with more questions than I had before calling. I had called the Forks Police Department, but Seth said Sheriff's Department. What the hell had happened in Forks recently?

Dialing my father's home phone number, I raised the phone again to my ear.

"Charlie Swan speaking," came the gruff response from my dad.

"Dad? It's Bella. I tried calling you at work, but Seth said you were home. What's going on?"

Charlie sighed, "Bells, I'll get right to it. I'm sorry to bother you kid, but I have news. The county voted to have the Sheriff's department take over Forks as a way to cut costs. I was given the choice of early retirement over being fired publicly at least, but that means a drastic pay reduction. I'm sorry kid, I don't have the money now to pay for your final year of school."

Charlie had said more in that one breath then he had in our last two conversations.

Crap. This is not good.

"Forget about me for a second, what about you? When did this happen?" I was trying not to freak out at the thought of my dad being homeless.

"I'll be fine, Bella. The uh, house is paid for, and I'm a simple guy with simple needs. I won't have enough for luxuries, but I'll be alright. It's you I'm concerned about."

"It's okay, dad. I can get a student loan or something, I'll figure it out," I tried to reassure my father, "But when did this happen?"

Surely they wouldn't have renamed the Forks PD overnight.

"Oh, uh," Charlie stuttered, "About two weeks ago. I didn't want to worry you until I knew anything for sure and I didn't want it to interfere with you studying for your exams.. I'm sorry, kid. Maybe you can move home and get a work for a year? You know Sue would hire you at the diner, or maybe Jake. I know things didn't end well but-"

"Maybe," I cut him off, thinking I would do anything in my power to not have to ask Jacob Black for a job. "I'm covered for rent for the summer, so if I can find a good summer job in Seattle, I can work things out."

"Bella," Charlie said quietly, "Your tuition is around twelve thousand dollars. Plus either your current apartment or moving back into the dorms and living expenses. Sweetheart, I don't think any summer job is going to pay you enough for all of that. I could help with moving expenses home, maybe…"

"I don't want to make any decisions today, I just need time to think of a plan," I said more confidently than I felt, "I'll start looking for a job tomorrow, and I'll go back to school to see if I can find any last minute scholarships."

"Well, let me know what you decide to do," Charlie urged, "I love you, kid. Talk to you later."

"Bye, Dad."

I sighed, pressing the end button on my phone and putting it back into my bag.

The end of my junior year just got a lot more stressful.


	2. Chapter 2

"Second time this month though… may want to reconsider where you're finding these women."

**Edward**

"Edward..." My newest assistant, Irina, purred. Purred? Oh no...

I looked up just in time to see her drop her dress on the floor. She was not wearing panties. Of course she's not. I knew, I just knew hiring her was going to be a decision I would regret.

"Irina!" I shouted, as I stood up and walked to my bathroom on the left side of my office. "What the hell are you doing? Cover yourself!"

I reached into the bathroom to grab a large, fluffy white towel. I threw the towel at her while walking back behind my desk. She caught it and threw it towards the couch to her right.

"Come on, Edward. I've seen how you look at me. I'm beautiful, you're beautiful. We're destined to be together," She began to stalk towards me as she finished speaking.

I pressed the button on my phone labelled 'Security' and prayed someone would come soon.

"Woman, back away from me! You've seriously underestimated our relationship!" I held my office chair in front of me like a shield, so she was unable to get too close.

Irina looked at me like she wanted to devour me. "Just let go of the chair, Eddie, and I'll show you just how good our relationship can be."

She climbed on to the chair, and sat on her knees.

"Just touch me, baby."

"Mr. Cullen? Mr. Cullen! Are you in there? The door is locked!" I could hear one of security officers attempt to open the door.

Shoving the chair, and Irina, away from me, I ran for the door. After I quickly unlocked it, I flung the door open and pointed at Irina, shouting, "This woman is crazy! Have her removed from the building!"

The two security officers gawked at Irina, who had just picked herself up off of the floor in a huff.

"Right away, sir!" The first officer replied, heading toward the crazy woman.

Irina shrieked and hollered as the officer escorted her out of her office. "We were meant to be, Edward! We were meant to be!"

"Thank you for getting here so quickly" I shook the second security officer's hand, "I appreciate it."

"No problem, Mr. Cullen," the guard mumbled as he picked up Irina's forgotten dress, "Second time this month though… may want to reconsider where you're finding these women."

I palmed my face and shut my office door.

Christ almighty. How hard is it to find a decent assistant?


	3. Chapter 3

If Jasper wasn't such a great friend and employee, I'd have fired his ass a long time ago.

**Edward**

Apparently, my life was akin to soap opera. I can head a multi-million dollar company, sure, yet hiring a competent personal assistant was evidently too much for me to accomplish.

I grabbed my office phone from my desk and dialed a familiar number.

"Jasper," I moaned, as I leaned back in my chair and pinched the bridge of my nose, "I fired my assistant. She came in, closed the door, and took off her dress all before I raised my head to look at her. Can I borrow yours since you're heading to New York for two days?"

There was a pause on the other end of the phone, before Jasper burst out laughing. _I'm glad someone can see the amusement in this situation, asshole._

"Oh Christ, Edward. I'm crying. This is hysterical," Jasper wheezed, "Yeah, sure. I'll tell Jane to go on up tomorrow morning. Don't worry, she wouldn't touch you with a ten foot pole."

I groaned and ran my hand through my hair.

"I'll have to hire a temp until I can interview potential candidates. Can you sit in on the interviews? Tell me if any of them give you the crazy eyes like you said Irina had…"

_Fuck. The next assistant I get definitely needs to be a man or a lesbian. I miss Mrs. Cope dearly. If only she hadn't decided to retire to 'live' her 'life' with Mr. Cope._

That was evidently too much for Jasper to handle, as he began laughing heartily again.

"I'm going to pretend you're finished laughing at me," I said heatedly, "I need to get some work done now."

I slammed my phone down on the receiver. Goddamnit. If Jasper wasn't such a great friend and employee, I'd have fired his ass a long time ago.

I needed a drink.

I picked up the phone again, and dialed another number I had known for years.

"Bro, what's up? You never call me during the day," My brother, Emmett, exclaimed.

"I'm fine. Drinks tonight? It's been a day from hell."

"That sucks, but yeah, I could go for a drink or two, Rosie's working late on some sweet ass ride tonight anyway," Emmett chuckled, "Her words, not mine."

I cracked a smile for the first time today. Rosalie, my sister-in-law, owned and operated a high-end garage in the city. She loved cars almost as much as she loved Emmett.

"7 o'clock at Trio sound good?"

"Yep, that's fine. Hang on, just got a text." Emmett paused, then burst out laughing. "Did your secretary really proposition you like that? Dude!"

"See you at 7." Slamming down the phone, I cursed Jasper.

My friend sucked.


	4. Chapter 4

"Bella. You nearly took out part of the offensive line of a professional football team. I'd hate to see what you could do if you were trying to work a pole."

**Bella** - _two weeks later..._

"Any luck?" Alice Brandon inquired, as she sat down on the chair opposite to mine. She sipped on her coffee, looking at me expectantly. It was Friday afternoon, and Alice was meeting me for our weekly coffee date at Starbucks before her boyfriend, Jasper Whitlock, picked her up on his way home from his office.

I shook my head, no. "I'm vetoing any and all waitressing jobs for the rest of my life. I'll have nightmares for forever thanks to yesterday."

Yesterday, I had found a part time job waitressing at a high end restaurant near my apartment. To say it was disastrous was an understatement. Within the first hour of my shift, I had broken two wine glasses and a plate in a run in with a bus boy.

Alice laughed, "It couldn't have been that bad, Bella."

"It was!" I insisted, cringing at the memory. "I'm probably banned from all future Seahawks games, too. I'm a threat to the safety of their players."

_After I apologized profusely to the manager, Rick, for breaking the glasses and plate in the first hour of my shift, he warily agreed to give me another shot. As he shooed me away, another waitress, Jill, asked me for help. A group of players from the Seattle Seahawks were dining there tonight, and she asked for my help in delivering all of their plates._

_I carefully balanced three plates in my hands. I was attempting to walk confidently to their table, smiling. _I could do this, _I chanted to myself. _

_Just three tables away, a woman's hand shot out and gently touched my arm, "Excuse me, Miss? I would like my cheque when you're done there."_

_I turned my head to acknowledge her request, but kept walking. Unfortunately, I missed the man at the next table getting up._

_"Whoa!" He shouted, narrowly missing me._

"_Oh!" I shrieked. _

_I fumbled._

_I swirled around._

_I dropped the three plates, piled high with hot food, in the lap of one of of the players._

"_Oh!" He shrieked, stumbling to get up and wipe away the tomatoey pasta away from his crotch. _

"_Shit! Damnit! Here, let me help you!" I cried, grabbing a napkin and attacking his pants with it._

"_Get away from me!" He shouted, as he backed up. _

"_Watch out!" I tried to grab his arm, but it was too late. He'd just backed into, and then fell over a dessert cart. _

"_Russell! Are you okay?" Another one of the players brushed by me to help his teammate. _

_Russell groaned, cradling his hand gently. "I think I sprained my wrist."_

_Russell's teammate turned around and glared at me._

"_You're a menace!" He shouted, "Stay away from us! You better hope his wrist is fine or we'll sue this restaurant!"_

"_Bella!" And there's my manager._

_Rick rushed over to me, and pulled me away from the increasingly embarrassing scene. _

"_I'm sorry!" I babbled, "I'm not usually this clumsy! I swear!"_

"I have to go clean up your mess," Rick hissed, "I'm sorry, you're a liability. Turn in your apron to the hostess and go."

_Rick abruptly turned around and hurried back to the table of players. Most of the restaurant was looking at them to determine what happened, so I took the opportunity to flee as suggested. I untied my apron, passed it to the hostess and quickly walked out of the restaurant._

The tinkling sound of the bell on the door, signaling a new customer, brought me out of my memory.

"You wouldn't have want to work there anyway, the manager sounds like a jerkface," Alice sympathized, "But I can't believe you nearly killed a football player in a freak food accident!" She laughed.

I failed to see her humor.

"I'm getting desperate," I admitted, "At this point, I'm going to have try something drastic in order to make enough money to stay in school!"

"Like what?"

"Like...stripping!" I said, exasperated. "Something that can make a lot of money in a little bit of time."

Alice stared at me. "Bella. You nearly took out part of the offensive line of a professional football team. I'd hate to see what you could do if you were trying to work a pole."

I sighed. That was true.

Alice suddenly straightened up in her seat. "Jasper's here!" She sang, as she opened up her arms to the tall, lanky man who was approaching.

"Hi baby," Jasper dipped low to give Alice a quick kiss. "Hey Bella. How's the job hunt going?"

"Awful," I half-smiled at him. "I don't suppose you know of anyone hiring?"

Jasper considered me for a moment, before breaking out into a wide smile. "As a matter of fact, I do. Let me tell you about the last month or so…"


	5. Chapter 5

"She scares me a little," I admitted. "But I think she'll be perfect."

**Edward**

I sighed heavily as I read the report in my hands. Not that the report in itself was stressful. Today has been quite the test for my patience. I had gone through three temporary assistants in two weeks, with each seeming worse than the last. Though none as terrible as Irina, thankfully.

I shuddered at the memory.

Jane, Jasper's assistant, was competent, however I knew Jasper would never give her up. And Jane would never leave Jasper; she has a little bit of a crush on Alice, which amused Jasper to no end.

Teri the temp, followed Jane after Jasper came back from his New York trip. She lasted for four days, before I caught her trying to take a photo of me while I was in my bathroom that's off of my office. Allison followed Teri - she 'taste tested' my coffee for me, in case it was too hot, so she had to go. She also lasted four days. Finally, we had Amelia, who thankfully didn't seem interested in me, but that didn't stop her from sneaking in her boyfriend for a rendezvous in the copier room. I had her escorted out of the building an hour ago.

_I clearly need to hire a new temp agency_, I thought to myself.

"I've found you a new assistant," Jasper announced, as he walked to my office without knocking, "You'll love her."

With a raised eyebrow, I put the report back in its folder on my desk.

"Oh yeah? Who is she?" I inquired.

"Her name is Bella Swan, and she's in the waiting area. I figured you wouldn't want to wait so I picked her up on my way to get Alice. She's a friend of hers. Bella's brilliant, witty and organized and I thought it you liked her, she could start Monday," Jasper commented, sitting on a chair. "She's also fine with leaving her phone in her truck, not tasting your coffee and doesn't have a boyfriend. So right there, she's already better than the last three assistants you've had, combined."

I leaned back in my chair, intrigued with Jasper. He was hiding something, I felt. I couldn't decide if he really wanted me to hire Bella, or he really wanted me to stop complaining about the atrocious assistants I've been paired with.

"I'll meet with her," I agreed, nodding. "But I won't agree to hire her unless I think she'll be right for the job."

Jasper's face broke out into a wide smile. "You'll love her."

Jasper stood up and walked briskly to the door. "Bella," he called, "Come meet Edward Cullen."

Moments later, a stunning brunette woman appeared in my line of sight.

"Oh," I squeaked. Internally, I slapped myself in the face for sounding like an idiot.

Both of their heads turned towards me, possibly questioning my sanity.

"Bella Swan, this is Edward Cullen. Edward, I'll leave you two alone." Jasper turned winked at Miss Swan and left the room, closing the door behind him.

"Thank you for meeting with me, Mr. Cullen," Miss Swan walked forward with her arm raised, poised to shake my hand.

Just as she was began crossing the room, it appeared that her leg buckled.

She wobbled.

She flailed.

Then she grabbed the only thing near to her, my floor lamp. Before I could even blink, she crashed to the ground, taking my lamp with her.

"Christ! Are you okay?" I was out of my chair as quick as I could stand and rushed to help her up.

"I'm fine! I'm so sorry about your lamp!" She exclaimed, standing up and brushing her skirt down. "I'll buy you a new one."

"Ahem," I cleared my throat and looked warily at her, afraid she might fall again. "That won't be necessary. Uh, I needed a new one anyway. I was thinking...smaller. One that will fit on my desk. Anyway, I'll just put it over here and dispose of it later…"

I picked up the sad looking lampshade and the lamp and put them in the corner of my office.

"Shall we?" I asked, gesturing to the seat in front of my desk.

"Yes, thank you." Miss Swan replied nervously, taking a seat.

"So, Miss Swan," I began, "Tell me about your previous experience as a personal assistant."

"Oh, I don't have any experience, per se, as an assistant," She stammered, "But I'm capable! I organize and color code my notes for for school, and I'm currently holding a 3.9GPA. I'm neat and tidy, and from what I understand, a majority of this job consists of calling clients to schedule and confirm meetings. I have a personable phone voice, and I've learned from many a late night studying sessions, how to make a great cup of coffee."

I frowned a little at her ramblings.

"No experience as an assistant?" I asked, flatly.

"Well, no, but like I said…" She began.

"And you're a student?" I asked, wondering how the hell she'd be able to work for me and complete a full course load. "I'm not entirely sure that -"

"First of all, I can assure you that working here will not conflict with my education," She interrupted me, sounding more confident than she was a moment ago, "I've purposely scheduled evening classes in anticipation of working full time during the day. In addition, I'm an English major. Which means I'm qualified for drafting or proof reading documents for you or your clients to read."

"Well-"

"And secondly, I'm not going to hit on you. I've heard about your previous assistants escapades from Jasper, I hope you don't mind. Aside from being highly unprofessional, I would _never ever_ mix business with pleasure," She emphasized.

I sighed, standing up. "Miss Swan, I-"

She stood up quickly, looking defeated and determined, all at the same time. "Mr. Cullen, I can see you're not going to hire me, which is fine. Thank you for speaking with me. I do suggest, though, since you obviously have trust issues with women, that you hire a straight man as your next assistant. That way you won't have to worry about him mooning over your pretty face."

She marched out of my office without another word.

What the hell had just happened?

I walked quickly to my office door, just in time to hear her say to Jasper, "...waste of time, Jasper. Thanks for trying though. I'll see you later."

"Miss Swan!" I jogged quickly to where she was standing, next to Jasper who was sitting on one of the couches in my waiting area. "Miss Swan...I'd like to hire you. On a trial basis of one week. If everything goes well, then I would be happy to take you on as my new assistant."

Miss Swan's face lit up. "Really?" She exclaimed, "Oh! Thank you , Mr. Cullen! Please, call me Bella. I won't let you down."

"Bella," I agreed quickly. "Can you begin Monday morning? Office hours are eight thirty to five, Monday through Friday. I take very few business trips throughout the year, but when I do, you would be expected to accompany me. Will that cause you any problems?"

"No, sir." She said, just as quickly, "As long as I have at least a few days notice in order to get someone to take notes for me, I can see no problem with that at all."

"Great. I'll get your address from Jasper, and send you a packet tomorrow, with your salary and other information in it. I'll see you Monday morning." I reached out my hand to shake hers, smiling.

Bella smiled back at me and then looked at Jasper. "I'll wait for you downstairs in the lobby?" She questioned.

Jasper nodded his head, still smiling. "I won't be long."

Once Bella was out of sight, Jasper turned to me, frowning. "I heard a crash, and then three minutes later she storms out of your office. And then you! Running out, declaring you'll hire her. What the hell happened in there?"

"She broke my lamp," I explained, chuckling. "And I wasn't going to hire her, but all of sudden she became this fiery, fierce lady and I changed my mind. Not that I could get a word in to tell her. She concluded that I wasn't going to hire her, and left before I could say otherwise."

"She scared me a little," I admitted. "But I think she'll be perfect."

Jasper grinned at me. "I don't think you'll regret hiring her. She's a special gal. I'll text you her info so you can send a messenger to her with some information about the job."

I agreed, nodding. "I'm just going to pack up, then I'm heading out. See you Monday?"

"Sounds good," Jasper agreed easily, before laughing. "You say she broke your lamp? You got off easy, man. She can be a little clumsy. I think it's endearing, personally. If you decide to hire her after your trial week, remind me to tell you the story of what she did to the Seahawks quarterback."

* * *

Author's note:

Oh my stars! Thank you for reading my little story. Also, to the folks who took the time to review; an even bigger thank you to each and every one of you! Each one has made my day brighter.


	6. Chapter 6

"Bella, I have to tell you something," confessed Alice, wringing her hands.

Bella

...Did that just happen? I wondered to myself, as I paced back and forth in the lobby of Cullen Incorporated.

I had actually managed to persuade Edward Cullen, Jasper's friend and boss, to hire me as his assistant.

"Hey Bella, you ready?" Jasper interrupted my thoughts a few moments later.

"Ready to go," I replied, smiling at him. "I can't believe Mr. Cullen hired me. Jasper, I'll never be able to thank you enough."

Jasper patted me on the back. "You're good peoples, Bella. Why wouldn't I help you out? Besides, Edward needs someone to keep his work life together. He's had a pretty poor track record with assistants before you. And I think you're just the woman to help him."

"So it wasn't just because Alice is freaked out at the thought of me moving back to Forks?"

"Maybe a little," Jasper chuckled. "If you left Seattle, then I'd have to go shopping with her. I shudder at the thought."

I laughed and followed Jasper out to his car. Jasper and I rode in companionable silence to my apartment.

I waved at him as he pulled away from the curb, before heading up into the building. I paused only to grab my mail, which consisted of my phone bill and a letter from my apartment building, and then headed up the stairs.

Once in my apartment, I pulled out my phone and called my father.

"Charlie Swan speaking," was his ever-the-same, gruff greeting.

"Hi Dad!" I sang, getting comfortable on my tiny sofa. "Guess what?"

"Hi Bella. You sound pretty happy. What's the good news?"

"I found a job! I'm going to be an assistant to a man named Edward Cullen, he owns the company that Jasper works for. You remember me telling you about Alice's boyfriend, Jasper?"

"I remember hearing about Jasper," Charlie confirmed. "That's great, sweetheart. I'm happy for you. What's your hourly rate?"

I paused, frowning. I didn't think to ask about how much I was getting paid.

"Not sure yet," I admitted. "Though he did say I can start Monday, and that I should expect to receive a package with information in it tomorrow."

"Alright then. You might want to put together a budget when you do, to see how much you'll have ready for school in September," he suggested.

"I will, as soon as I know the details," I agreed, running my hand through my hair, suddenly nervous.

"Okay, good. I gotta go, I'm picking up Billy to go fishing. Talk to you later, kid."

"Bye, dad."

I pressed the end button on my phone and allowed myself to get lost in my thoughts for a moment. If my tuition was just over twelve thousand, plus rent for the from September to April should be sixty three hundred...plus groceries, books and my cell phone bill...that equaled…

"Shit," I muttered, rubbing my head with my fingers. "This is going to get expensive quickly."

Suddenly remembering that I had mail from my building, I reached into my bag to grab it. I figured it was information regarding renewing my lease for another year.

_ Dear tenant,_

_As you may already be aware, your lease with Tera Nova Apartments expires on August 31st of this year. Should you wish to renew your lease for another 6 months or 1 year, we would be happy to have you stay with us, here at one of Seattle's best apartment complexes._

_Please note, that the following changes will take place in accordance with our new policies, which can be reviewed anytime Monday to Friday 10AM-4PM in our rental office, located on the first floor._

_ * Rent for single bedroom apartments will be increasing from $700 to $895._

_ * Rent for double bedroom apartments will be increasing from $850 to $1145._

_ * Electricity will no longer be included in the rental pricing._

_Should you have any questions or concerns, or if you would like to resign your lease, please contact us at (206) 697 5555._

_Yours truly,_  
_Shirley Davenport_

_Leasing Agent for Tera Nova Apartments_

_Seattle, Washington_

I exhaled a breath I didn't realize I was holding in.

"There's no way I can afford this!" I exclaimed, reaching to grab my phone again.

Dialing Alice's number, I wanted anxiously for her to pick up the phone.

"Yelloww?" Alice greeted.

"So I have awesome news and I have news that sucks hard. Which would you like first?"

"Oh no!" Alice shrieked, "Don't tell me that you injured Jasper's boss?"

"No!" I moaned, "I'll never live that down, will I? No injuries today, I swear. Mr. Cullen hired me, Al! That's my good news."

"Bella, that's great! What's the bad news, then?" Alice inquired, sounding confused.

"My rent is going up in September. I think I have to consider moving into a cheaper apartment. Or maybe even a dorm at school. The dorms, Alice! I can't afford an extra hundred and ninety five dollars on top of paying for school, even with a job!" I ranted.

I stood up and began pacing, trying to think of how this could work.

Alice didn't say anything for a minute, then, "I think I can solve that problem for you. Want to meet me tomorrow for lunch? My treat, to celebrate your new job."

Collapsing on my sofa, I agreed to meet her for lunch, curious as to how could fix my problem. I hope her solution wasn't finding another job. I definitely won't be able to handle two jobs and a full course load. Ugh.

The rest of my night consisted of eating Cheetos and watching reruns of 19 Kids and Counting on TV until I fell asleep.

The next morning, I woke up, startled. My phone was beeping.

As I tried to focus, I realized that I was still on my sofa, and someone was also at my door.

"Coming!" I shouted, disentangling myself from the blanket I wrapped myself in, "Just a second!"

I unlocked the door after peering into the peep hole. This was evidently the messenger from Mr. Cullen.

"Miss Swan?" The delivery guy inquired.

"That's me," I replied, attempting to put my hair in a ponytail, while holding the door open.

"Sign here, please." He presented a clip board.

I signed my name at the bottom, and accepted a large envelope from him.

"Let's see what we have here," I murmured, as I closed the door.

My phone beeped again. I picked up my phone and read the two texts in my inbox.

The first one, was from an unfamiliar number.

_Miss Swan, this is Edward Cullen. You should receive an envelope containing information you may wish to review before Monday shortly. This is my personal cell number. Enjoy your weekend._

The second one was from Alice.

_I'm running late, but I'll be at the diner in 20 minutes!_

"Crap!" I cried, looking at what time it was. I ran into my bedroom and grabbed a clean pair of jeans and a long sleeved shirt. Shimmying off my pyjamas, I got dressed in record time. I grabbed the envelope from Mr. Cullen, stuffed it in my bag, threw on some sandals and ran out the door.

Huffing and puffing ten minutes later, I made it to Sally's Diner. I looked around, and to my relief, I had beaten Alice here. I made my way to a table by the window and sat down.

"Two coffees, please," I requested from the waitress who approached the table. "One with cream, one with cream and two sugar."

"Comin' on up, honey," The waitress replied.

"Helloooo! Sorry I'm late," Alice sang, sitting down across from me, moments later. "Were you waiting long? DId you order yet?"

"Just got here," I replied, smiling. Alice's perky personality was infectious. "I ordered for us."

"Excellent," Alice replied. Her facial features changed, and she suddenly looked nervous. "Have you heard from Edward Cullen yet?"

"Yeah, an envelope arrived just before I left. I haven't looked at it yet though," I admitted, reaching down to fish it out of my bag.

"Well, no time like the present." Alice urged.

I opened the envelope. Inside was two pieces of paper. On the front of the first one appeared to be a handwritten note.

_Miss Swan,_

_Attached is a brief summary of your duties and special information to assist you in your role as my assistant. Also included is your salary, and benefits, which will begin after two months of employment. Please feel free to ask any questions on Monday._

_Yours,_

_Edward Cullen_

I handed Alice the note and began reading the first page. It contained basic information such as office hours, health benefits and dress code information. At the bottom of the list was a notation stating how Mr. Cullen preferred his coffee in the morning.

The second page contained information that made by eyes widen.

"Holy!"

Don't freak out, Bella. Don't freak out.

"What?" Alice shrieked, jumping a little at my outburst.

"My...salary," I stammered. "It's just...more than I was expecting."

Alice rolled her eyes, "What were you expecting, minimum wage? I happen to know that Jasper's assistant is very well paid. I assumed you would be too."

"Forty five thousand dollars," I whispered, my eyes never leaving the page. "Hang on, I need to do some quick math."

Fishing out a pen, I grabbed a napkin and began scribbling.

Alice huffed impatiently.

I frowned. It was hard to believe that this still wasn't enough money because of the short time period.

"Okay," I exhaled. "So I basically have four months, May through the end of August, to put together a minimum of fourteen thousand dollars for tuition, books and rent for September. But with my rent going up, I'll barely be able to save six thousand dollars. That's not even half of what I need!"

Alice fidgeted.

"What?" I demanded, putting my pen down.

"Bella, I have to tell you something," confessed Alice, wringing her hands. "I'm...rich."

I stared at Alice. I knew this. Alice's grandfather was an old oil tycoon and she inherited quite a bit of money when he passed. Not that she needed it, as far as I knew, because her parents paid for anything she needed anyway.

"And…?" I asked slowly.

"And I'm rich! You're my best friend, let me pay for your school!" Alice exclaimed, "If I cut down on my shopping for a month, I can afford it. My parents won't even notice."

I palmed my face, shaking my head.

"Alice, listen to me. You're my best friend, but I absolutely refuse to take money from you." I declared, grabbing her hand, "I can make this work. I'll just get a part time jo-"

"That's stupid," Alice interrupted, "I can help you! Plus if you get a second job, your grades could suffer. Or worse, I'd never see you."

Alice looked at me, forming her lips into a pout for a split second, before straightening up and looking excited.

"Alright, so if you won't take money from me, even though I think you should," She muttered, "What about this? I'm lonely in my apartment. Come be my roommate."

"Roommate?" I asked, my eyebrows shooting up in surprise.

"Here you go, ladies," The waitress interrupted our conversation, placing our coffee down in front of us.

"Thank you," Alice beamed at her, before turning her attention back to me. "Roommate. It makes sense! We're together all the time, and I have three bedrooms, so it's not like I don't have the space. Oh! We can turn the third bedroom into an office for us!"

"What about rent?" I had to admit, this wasn't a bad idea.

Alice shrugged. "I own the apartment, there's no sense in paying m-"

"No deal," I interrupted, picking up my coffee. "I agree, I can definitely save money with us being roomies, but you need to let me pay you something!"

Alice looked thoughtful for a moment. "What about fifty dollars a month?"

"No. Too little. Five hundred?" I countered.

"Ick. I can't take that much money from you. One fifty?" Alice shot back. She sipped on her coffee and looked at me expectantly.

"Four hundred."

"Two."

"Alice!"

"Okay, okay. What about three hundred? That's my final offer, Bella." Alice sighed, apparently quite unhappy with the thought of taking money from me.

"Deal. You've got a roommate starting September first!" I stuck out my hand for Alice to shake; she pulled me in for a quick hug.

"September! Oh! So much to do! Let's go shopping so we can get the office set up now. Do you think we should get two desks? I think two so we both have our own…"

* * *

Author's note:

Thank you for reading. I love reading your reviews. :)


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